


down a road slowly

by TheLadySif



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Holidays, Mischief and Mistletoe 2019, Protective Loki (Marvel), Winter, Yule, Yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:54:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLadySif/pseuds/TheLadySif
Summary: Sif is sent on a Yuletide Quest to retrieve something precious to the Queen from the Winter Palace, but this quest seems to be much more complicated than first presumed.
Relationships: Loki/Sif, Loki/Sif (Marvel)
Comments: 40
Kudos: 49
Collections: Mischief and Mistletoe 2019





	1. The Queen's Task

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eienvine](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eienvine/gifts).



> AN: First and foremost, I struggled back and forth with some ideas for the requests you gave, mostly because I felt I had read a lot of stories that were that exact request but I hope that I've done your request some justice with what I've written.
> 
> Additionally, I love everything you've written for Sifki. I wanted the fic to be an ode to you because you're an amazing writer and thus, the title is for you.

Typically, when the Yuletide celebrations began in Asgard, Sif would take a small leave of absence from her duties as a Shieldmaiden to return home to visit with her mother. They had spent almost every winter together for as long as Sif could remember, but for the last five hundred years, her mother's health steadily declined. It was during the Summer Solstice that Sif received news that her mother had passed away. With the upcoming winter looming ahead of her, Sif began to dread each passing day that brought her closer to Yuletide celebrations. Sif tried to keep up a friendly face around her friends, but there were times when her thoughts would fill with uncertainty for the upcoming winter festivities.

They were resting in an antechamber for the day as snow began to fall outside, marking the official beginning of the winter season. Sif was lost in thought while her friends planned and discussed their upcoming plans for the season. It took a moment for her to register that her friends had called her name and asked her a question. She shook her head clear of her uncertainty as she looked up at them. "I'm sorry. Were you asking me something?"

"Well, yes," Fandral began a bit too nonchalantly with a smile at her. "We were just discussing a matter of _extreme_ importance."

"I apologize I was not paying attention. Is something wrong?" Sif inquired with some suspicion that whatever Fandral and her friends had been discussing was not at all serious as he proposed it was. 

Thor and the Warriors Three exchanged a look between them for a moment before Thor answered, "Well, you've never been here for our festivities before-"

"Not that visiting your late mother wasn't as important as partaking in our usual celebrations," Volstagg quickly interjected causing Sif's face to twitch briefly at the mention of her mother. 

"It's just that usually..." Thor continues after Volstagg's interruption, "...the Queen asks that one of us goes to the Winter Palace to retrieve something precious to her before the Yuletide season ends. We thought, perhaps, you could go for us this year."

Sif is about to reject their very _kind_ offer when a thought pops into her head. The Winter Palace is hidden away and it is a long trek down a long road that very few traveled. It would be a perfect task for someone who could do with some time away from the upcoming celebrations and the task itself couldn't possibly be that hard if someone was sent to the Winter Palace every year to retrieve something for the Queen. "Of course, I'll go this year," Sif answers.

"Sif, _please_ reconsider-" Fandral begins until he realizes that Sif has agreed to their plan. "Wait, you'll go for us?"

"Well, all of you have gone to the Winter Palace for the Queen, but it would be unfair to you all if I were to stay here this year while one of you goes again to the Winter Palace. It would only be fair if I go," Sif explains to them. 

"You are too considerate, Lady Sif," Hogun thanks her with a nod of his head.

"We should warn you that the Queen's task may be _difficult_ in retrieving it from the Winter Palace," Thor warns her. 

"Well, what am I retrieving?" Sif questions them all. 

They glance between each other again with a pointed look at Thor. "There are so many words I could use to describe what you're retrieving but I worry you might mistake it for something else. I assure you though, you will definitely know it when you see it. I usually find it in the Queen's Study in the Winter Palace."

"I am never one to shy away from a challenge, my friends," Sif gave them a half-forced smile. 

Sif should have known that the smiles shared between her friends were not for her, but rather for her upcoming misfortune. To be fair, there were quite a few clues that the upcoming Queen's task was going to be just as difficult as the road to the Winter Palace would be. The road became quite icy as it grew colder in Asgard and Sif paused every now and then to let her horse rest. She brushed off some of the snow as she approached the gates to the Winter Palace. Sif had left Asgard in the morning and by the time she had arrived at the Winter Palace, it was night. She was surprised to see a guard posted outside the gate to the Winter Palace, but quickly realized that there would have to be some people cleaning and keeping the Winter Palace tidy if the Royal family ever wanted to return and stay for some time. 

The guard at the gate regarded Sif with a bit of amusement, "So they sent you this year? Your friends must be getting truly desperate."

"If I may ask, what exactly am I retrieving here?" Sif questioned the guard, who smiled and gave a small laugh at her question.

"You know it when you see it," The guard answered unhelpfully. "The Queen's Study is on the third floor of the palace in the west wing."

Sif continued through the gate and made her way to the third floor after she put her horse in the stable and made sure he would be warm during her stay. She roamed the halls of the west wing on the third floor as she searched for the Queen's Study. When she heard a noise coming from one of the rooms, she hurried to find its source. She was surprised to find the Queen's Study in use when she opened the door. There were papers and books opened and strewn about on every table and desk. Sif was even more surprised to see Loki lounging on one of the chaises scribbling away in a journal. 

"Why did Thor and the Warriors Three send me here when they could have just asked you to fetch what the Queen wants from here?" Sif questioned him as she stepped into the study.

"I suppose they sent you because I threatened to curse them all into frogs the last time they were sent here to fetch me," Loki answered, glancing up from his journal to look at Sif before returning back to his work.

"Fetch you?" Sif inquired before it dawned on her. "You're the Queen's task? They could have just told me what this was all about in the first place. 

"I'm sure they were afraid you would tell them no and then one of them would have to come in your stead," Loki mused aloud as he continued writing in his journal. 

"That sounds exactly like them," Sif agreed as she rubbed her faintly cold hands together. "I imagine that we'll leave as soon as you're good and ready unless you want our friends coming out to fetch you again. Do try to give me at least a day's notice before we are supposed to leave." Sif left the study, not noticing the look Loki gave her as she did.

Sif keeps herself occupied with a walk around the grounds each morning and then again, each night. She spends most of the day sharpening her glaive or practicing her moves with her blades. There are a couple of days that she ventures beyond the gate and hunts wild game to eat for dinner. It is several days before Sif sees Loki again. Sif is curled up by a fireplace with a glass of mulled wine when she hears Loki's light footsteps toward her. "Are you ready yet?" She asked, turning to look at him over her shoulder. 

"Not at all," Loki answered as he took a seat in the opposite chair from. "I'm merely taking a moment away from my work. I'm only surprised you haven't dragged me back to Asgard already as Thor and the others would have."

"As much fun as it would be to bring you back kicking and screaming, I don't mind being away from Asgard for a little while- that is as long as we are back before you mother sends someone else to come fetch us."

"I suppose that is a reasonable request," Loki agrees with her as he watches her take a long sip from her wine. "Is there any reason in particular that you wanted to leave Asgard?"

"It is nice to have a change of scenery every once and a while," Sif answered with another long sip from her wine. She stood a moment after that and bid Loki goodnight. 

She saw Loki again during her morning walk around the grounds where he informed her that they would be leaving the next day before taking off back to the Queen's Study. Sif went about her day as normal, but the cold walk around the grounds that night left her feeling odd as she packed away her things. Her mind is far too distracted to pack her things properly, so she goes to the window to watch the snow continued to fall steadily. 

Her first Yuletide without her mother and she's spent most of it not celebrating any of it. This must be the source of the odd feeling that causes tears to start flowing from her eyes. She misses her mother terribly. Sif blinks back her tears when she hears Loki's footsteps approaching and keeps her back to him as she stares out the window. 

"I'm afraid the winter storm is picking up, we may be stuck here a while longer than you originally planned, Sif."

Sif swallows hard and nearly turns to face him, but remembers her tears and turns back to the window, "Yes, it's- it's really coming down right now, isn't it?"

Loki is silent for a moment before taking a few more steps toward her, "Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Sif hesitated to answer, but did so anyway, "It's the first Yuletide without my mother."

"My apologies," Loki began quietly. "I suspect you would like some time alone." Loki turns and begins to leave when Sif interrupts him. 

"Loki, please stay," Sif says to him. Loki pauses in the doorway, looking back at her. "I'm not sure that I can bear another moment alone this Yuletide." Loki turns back around and steps closer to Sif. "I apologize for my emotions. It's hard losing someone you care about, especially if that person was the only one you celebrated Yuletide with."

Loki comes up to Sif and places a hand on her shoulder causing Sif to wipe away her tears hurriedly. "No need to apologize, Sif. I am a poor substitute for your mother by spending this Yuletide in the study pouring over my work. I am sorry you were the one they sent to fetch me this year. Would you like me to curse them for you? I could curse them into different animals. Fandral's practically a rabbit already. I could make turn Volstagg into a pig- an actual pig. I quite like the idea of turning Thor into a frog."

Sif felt a smile grace her face, "What have you planned for Hogun? A giant dog of some sort?"

"I had imagined turning him into a small mouse but that's not a bad suggestion if it was a great big black dog, a Grim," Loki laughed, causing Sif to laugh as well. _A good sign._ "Sounds like quite the plan we have when we get back?"

"As much fun as it would be to see them hop or trot about, if you curse our friends during the rest of the celebrations, you'll only get into trouble," Sif pointed out to him, turning back to face him. 

Loki gave her a short scoff, "Fret not, I'd turn the two of us into animals as well so they would never suspect we were the masterminds of the curse. I could easily pass as a snake or a cat, but what of our Shieldmaiden? What animal is best suited to her?" 

Sif thought to herself for a moment, "I suppose I could be a lioness."

"That does sound quite fitting for you," Loki agreed. The two continued discussing plans for what they would do when they returned back to Asgard through the night until early morning arrived. Sif supposed they must have fallen asleep during part of their discussion because when she awoke the next day, she awoke from Loki's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her side. Delicately, she detached herself from him and returned to packing her things, taking care not to wake him. 


	2. The Ice Will Consume You

Following the success of Sif's retrieval of Loki from the Winter palace that for once did not involve either party cursed or bruised, Thor and the Warriors Three suggested the following year that Sif should be the one to retrieve him again. Sif rolled her eyes at them but once again, she found herself following down a road slowly that led to the Winter Palace. When she arrived again at the Queen's Study, Loki was somewhat surprised to see her again. "I hardly believe you allowed them to trick you into coming and fetching me _again_ ," Loki greeted her as he flipped through the pages of the book he was pouring over.

"I think I'll have myself dedicated as your appointed escort for the Yuletide season. Your brother and our friends will be thrilled," Sif suggested to him. 

"I suppose it's better you than them. You won't destroy years of research by getting honey stuck to the pages of my work," Loki stuck a bookmark into the book in front of him. "Asgard is lucky that I let Thor live after that incident."

"Don't worry, I'll leave you to your books and your work. When you need me, let me know," Sif informs him as she takes her leave.

She comes more prepared this time with things to preoccupy her time while Loki works, but Sif notices the amount of times that he comes to check up on her. She confronts him on the matter the next time that he comes to check up on her. 

"Can I help you with something, Loki? You seem terribly distracted from your work this year," Sif remarks when she hears his footsteps paused by the door. 

"I was just checking that our wonderful Shieldmaiden is in good spirits this year," Loki answered, leaning against the door frame. "Besides, I find myself in need of clearing my mind from my work. _All work and no play_ and all that."

"Would you like to join me for a bit of hunting? Some fresh air could do you some good," Sif suggested to him as she regarded her blades in the light of the fireplace. She was surprised that Loki agrees to go hunting with her. 

They try not to stray too far away from the Winter Palace as the snow begins to fall upon them once again. They've agreed to primarily hunt small game as Loki tells her that it is rare to see something larger than a snow hare near the Winter Palace. After several hours, they've hunted quite a few of the rabbits surrounding the Winter Palace and decide to head back in. 

"What did you do with your mother during Yuletide, if you don't mind me asking?" Loki inquired as he brushed all the snow off of himself once they were inside.

"I would go hunting for her and bring back a nice goat or if I was able to find one, a sizable boar for a small feast. While I was off hunting, she'd make craft these small goats out of straw. She would always claim that a spirit would appear to see if our Yuletide preparations were done right and the small goats she made were a way of appeasing this spirit," Sif answered with a small smile as she looked back fondly on her memories with her mother.

"Small straw goats to appease a Yuletide Spirit? How strange." Loki mused to himself as he began to head back up to the third floor with Sif. 

Sif gave a small scoff, "Oh _please_ , as if the other celebrations are any better. From what I hear, it's just feasting and drinking and hunting for days on end. As if that's anything different from what we already do anytime Thor gets bored."

"The Wild Hunt is more than that," Loki argued with her. "There's a rise in the activities of the draugar and the celebrations are meant to keep our soldiers in good spirits. They fight a couple thousand undead beings and then they come back to eat and drink to their success. I would have sworn this would have been something you'd enjoy actually."

"While it has its appeal, it would become too laborious after a while especially involving _thousands_ of draugar. Besides, the draugar are just the remnants of cursed people. It feels wrong to hunt them down. We could be finding a way to help them instead," Sif countered his argument.

Loki looked at her in surprise as they arrived at the Queen's Study once again, "That's why I'm here actually... to find a way to uncurse the draugar."

"That's very noble of you, Loki," Sif put her hand on his shoulder. "If you could find a way, it would save a lot of lives."

"I'm sure there would be some that would be overjoyed we wouldn't have to fight the draugar anymore and some disappointed that there would no longer be a Wild Hunt. However, I'm sure Father would still observe Yuletide festivities." Loki remarked as he entered the study with Sif still on his heels. "I am not sure how long exactly it will take me to crack the secrets of the draugar's curse- precisely, what caused it, why it continues each year, and how to end the curse, but if I can't figure it out then I will have given someone else a head start on finding a cure." 

"If anyone can figure out, I'm sure you can," Sif tells him from the doorway. 

Loki paused behind the desk as he looked back at Sif. "I appreciate your belief in me, Sif. It means a lot."

Sif gives him a smile before returning back to the chamber she's chosen to stay in during her stay. 

Once again, during the night, the snow begins to fall harder and harder until both Sif and Loki find themselves snowed in at the Winter Palace. Sif peers out through the window with a frown toward the snow. "How is it that the Winter Palace constantly gets snowed in? I would suppose that a Palace like this would be a place to get away from the all the snow and ice in Asgard."

"The _Winter Palace_ was the third palace of Asgard," Loki explained as he continued to make notes in his journal. "Both of the first two palaces burned down due to huge celebratory feasts. The Winter Palace was then constructed in the hopes that it would outlive its predecessors, which it would. However, there was one problem, the constant snow-storms made it hard to fish or hunt in these mountains. So, off our ancestors went to construct a new palace in a place not constantly snowed on and the title given to this palace was _The Winter Palace_. When Mother told me the Winter Palace, I set off to see it during one Yuletide season centuries ago. It took a whole day to find it and somehow, Mother found out where I was and sent Thor after me. I've been coming here ever since, and they've sent someone after me ever year since."

"With all this snow, they may try to send someone after us," Sif warned him as she moved away from the window to return to her chair by the fire. "It almost makes me worry that the ice may _consume_ us." Loki gives her a confused look as she takes a sip of mulled wine. "My mother always warned me before we would travel to Jotunheim that we should all be careful because of the snow. She said that the snow and ice would try to whisper and conspire into getting people to take nap on the snow. Once you fall asleep, you'd freeze to death and then the ice would consume you so you could be a part of it forever."

"How terrifying," Loki murmured as he took a sip of his own wine. 

"Don't worry, Loki," Sif began with a smile. "I'll protect you from the ice and snow."

"Will you now?" Loki asked her with a smirk. "I rather like the ice and snow. That's part of why I spend so much time here. I make no promises that I won't fall asleep in the snow."

"Well, I promise I won't let it consume you after you try to fall asleep in the snow then," Sif laughs, feeling the warmth of the wine in her face and the warmth of the fire keeping her protected from being consumed by the ice and snow outside. 

Loki laughs with her, "To be protected by such a wonderful Shieldmaiden, what an honor." 

Sif wonders briefly if the warmth in her face now is still from the wine or a blush formed from the compliments Loki keeps giving her. She does notice that this is the second time that Loki has called her wonderful. She takes another sip from her wine with a smile fixed on her face. 


	3. A Boar Hunt and A Small Goat

With each passing year, Sif finds herself enjoying the trips to the Winter Palace and comes to enjoy Loki's company both there and in Asgard as well. It becomes clear that Loki has grown to trust her more, so it becomes not uncommon to find the two of them roaming the halls in Asgard discussing something or other with each other. Sif comes to realize that Loki leaves for the Winter Palace several months before she goes to retrieve him each and every year. This year when she arrives, Loki is waiting outside the gate for her and gives her a smile. 

"Well, it seems that you were not consumed by the ice and snow this year," Loki joked with her as they enter the Winter Palace again. 

"I can easily change that," Sif smiled as she begins to pretend to fall asleep on a pile of snow. Loki rolls his eyes until there's a pile of snow thrown in his face. Loki wipes the snow out of his eye to see Sif packing up more snow to throw at him. 

Loki quickly ducks down to grab some snow and launches at Sif as she turns to throw a snowball at him. A game ensues between them tossing snow back and forth at each other, laughing and shrieking when the snowballs made contact with their faces. Eventually, Sif just gets right to the point and tackles Loki into a decent sized pile of snow. They both laugh again at the collision of their bodies into the snow and each other. Loki reaches across to wipe some of the snow out of her hair and off of her face. Sif can feel exactly how warm her face is against Loki's cold fingers and her gaze drifts to his lips. When she looks back up, Loki is staring at her intently. She quickly pulls herself away from him as she speaks, "We should head inside and warm up before the snow _actually_ consumes us." 

"Of course," Loki agreed as he stands up with her. He brushes the snow off of her before brushing the snow off of himself.

That night, Sif finds him in the Queen's Study and tells him of her plan to go hunting the next day.

"I think I would like to have some boar again for this Yuletide," Sif began as she sits down in one of the chairs for a moment. "I was going to go hunting away from the palace tomorrow."

"You think you'll be able to find a boar out here?" Loki asked her as he shuffles through his papers. 

"Either a boar or something equivalent to a boar, yes," Sif answered as she catches one of the papers that flies over her way. She sets it back up on the desk. "However, I should still be back by the nightfall."

"Isn't it dangerous to hunt a boar by yourself?" Loki inquired, looking up at her with some concern.

"I am always up to a challenge," Sif grinned at him.

The next day, Loki bid her good luck as she took off in the morning to go hunting. He spent the day wrapped up in his work and several books looking for an answer to his problem. It wasn't until he heard a knock on his door that Loki realized he had been working all day and night had finally come. He looked up and saw the guard standing in the doorway. "Excuse me for bothering you, Your Royal Highness. I thought I should inform you that the Lady Sif has not yet returned."

"She has not returned yet?" Loki stood up abruptly and went to the door. 

"Her horse arrived moments ago without her," The guard explained to him. 

"I'm going out to find her. If I don't return by tomorrow, send word to Asgard about the situation," Loki told the guard as he left the study.

He went and packed some supplies in case she was injured before setting off with his own horse on the path she had taken into the woods. He conjured a small light to guide his way so that he could see the path Sif had taken. It had begun to snow while Loki was following her tracks and Loki picked up his pace so he wouldn't lose the tracks to the snow.

He came upon a set of her footprints in the snow and followed them, hoping they would lead him to her. He came upon a clearing marked with a lot of blood and what appeared to be part of a boar that was ripped apart by something that was clearly not Asgardian. Loki spied Sif's tracks backing away from the clearing, but another set of tracks were present, leading right up to the giant blood splatter. 

Loki had two theories of what had potentially happened.

The first being that Sif came up on something big that was devouring the boar and she had accidentally alerted it in the process of running away. The second and the more likely situation was Sif had managed to kill the boar alone, standing away from it while it bled when something found the boar and ripped it apart in front of her. Depending on what it was, she would have had to fight it or run away quickly.

Either way, the giant blood trail leading away from the clearing was unsettling. He continued following the trail of blood and debris until the trail split apart two ways.

Loki sees a slashed piece of leather tied to a tree where Sif's horse was likely tied up with its reign while she hunted. Yet, the blood trail runs away from the horse's own tracks. The clean severing of the leather meant that Sif had most likely cut the reigns, but the horse must have been spooked and ran off without her back to the Winter Palace. 

Loki followed the trail of blood through the woods as the snowfall tried to cover up the blood trail. The trail lead to a a series of rocks in the side of a hill. Upon closer expectation, the blood trail became larger again with pieces of bloody fur stuck to the ground at the mouth of a cave before the trail veered off away from the cave again.

However, Sif's own tracks seemed to end at the cave which worried him. Loki disembarked from his horse to inspect the cave for more clues. He conjured a brighter light see in the small dark cave. Lying against the far wall of the cave was Sif, who seemed to be currently unconscious. Loki hurried over to her and nearly tripped on the icy ground of cave. 

"Please don't be dead," Loki knelt down beside her and examined her. He checked her wrist for a pulse and a sense of relief washed over him when he felt it.

There seemed to be some cuts and the padded cloth armor she had been wearing had a couple stains of blood, but not nearly enough to have caused the large blood splatters outside of the cave. He hurried back to his horse and grabbed some of the medical supplies he had packed.

Loki attempted to wake her to ask her how bad her injuries were but had no luck. He quickly attended to her wounds, hoping that she hadn't lost too much blood in this foolish hunt of hers. 

* * *

It is a couple of days before Sif awakes. Her head and her body aches terribly. Sif rubs at her head trying to lessen the pain as she sits up slowly. " _Ow_ , my head..." She is absolutely parched, but Loki is quick to hand her a glass of water and helps her drink it after she has nearly dropped the glass. "How long has it been since I left?"

"Two or three days," Loki answers as he turns to table by the bed, looking for the medicine he had set aside for her. "I warned you it was dangerous," Loki chides her as he hands her some medicine to take to help with the pain. 

"You warned me that the _boar_ was dangerous, not that there would be a _troll_ ," Sif retorts as she swallows the medicine and follows it with the water. 

"You were chased by a troll?!" Loki exclaimed with even more worry now than he had before. "You're very lucky you weren't killed!"

"The damn thing was persistent," Sif argued. "I tried to use the horse as a distraction, but the troll was set on following me. I suppose it was rather hungry. It shoved half of the boar in its mouth and trailed behind me with the other half. I thought I was going to be killed by a troll until I found that cave. It was far too big to even remotely get inside. Thank you for taking care of me."

"You're welcome. However, I'm still wondering exactly how you hit your head?" Loki asked her. 

"I slipped on the ice inside," she answered. She is a bit embarrassed to have been nearly killed by both a troll and a patch of ice.

"I tended to your wounds from the boar and the cuts from the trees that you no doubtfully hit in your escape," Loki told her as he leaned back in his chair, finally able to relax now that Sif was somewhat well. "I was very worried."

Sif rolled her eyes, "Oh _please_ , Loki. It's not like they could ban you from coming back to the Winter Palace just because of one troll in the area."

"I wasn't worried about that," Loki insisted, sitting up again. "I was worried about _you_."

Sif feels her face goes warm again. "There's no need to worry over me-" Sif begins to argue with a shake of her head, but Loki grabs her hand and squeezing it as he speaks.

"I was worried you might have been _killed,_ Sif. There was so much blood and- and when I got to the cave, your tracks ended, and I-" Loki squeezed her hand tighter as he tried to blink away the tears that formed in his eyes. "I don't think I could bear it if you had been killed, Sif." He swallowed hard as he stared at her. "It would be a sad day if Asgard lost its' beautiful Shieldmaiden to a hungry troll," Loki remarked quietly.

Sif felt the blush settle on her face again. "I didn't mean to cause you any worry," Sif says quietly, setting her other hand on top of his. 

It is quiet between them for a moment, before Loki turns back to the bedside table again. He hands her a small goat made of straw. "For you," he tells her. "I was too worried to focus on my own work, so I made it for you while you slept. Since you didn't get a boar for Yuletide, I thought perhaps this could do instead." 

Sif smiles at the thoughtful gift and feels happy tears fill her eyes. "It's wonderful," Sif tells him as she wipes her tears away. "I don't have anything to give you though," she says with a sad smile. 

Loki moves from his chair to the edge of the bed. "There's no need," he tells her, squeezing both of her hands. "The fact that you're still here is good enough."

Sif plucked some of her courage as she reached up and brought his face to hers in a kiss. Both of them were pleasantly surprised as the kiss continued. Loki wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as Sif wrapped her arms around his neck. They continued kissing and wrapped up in each other until Sif pulled away, feeling a small bit of pain from her injuries. 

She gave out a sheepish apology, knowing full well the two of them were blushing madly as soon as they had pulled apart.

Loki spent the rest of the day with Sif, making sure she was recovering well from her injuries as he told her outlandish stories to keep her entertained. Until they were scheduled to return to Asgard, the two of them spent every moment with the other. Sif finding a book to read while Loki returned back to his work or Loki accompanying her on shorter walks inside the Palace, hiding away from the palace staff to share a kiss in secret again.

By the last day, the two were practically inseparable as they returned to Asgard side by side. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was so much put into this chapter and I asked for advice for the hunting scene. I am now very glad I did not write the hunting scene. It is apparently super difficult to kill a boar and do not recommend it. Many thanks to my advisor.


	4. Rise and Shine

It is mid-fall when Loki informs Sif that he has finally found a cure for the curse of the draugar, but over the course of the next couple of weeks, he will be gone with his mother to administer the cure to the graves of the fallen draugar on Niflheim.

Sif misses him terribly while he is gone. Loki still had not returned by the time that Yuletide approaches, so Sif sets out to the Winter Palace for what she believes is the last time. She had wished to visit one last time with Loki as she gathers her things to bring back to Asgard.

The Winter Palace now holds a lot of memories that are very dear to her as it had helped strength her relationship with Loki into what it is today. It is sad for her to return once again, knowing that this will be the last Yuletide she will spend here and to spend it without Loki.

Sif takes her time in packing her things so that she can spend more time in the Winter Palace. She finds herself frequenting the Queen's Study every day when she misses Loki.

Sif briefly contemplates how long she can stay until they send someone to fetch her much like they did with Loki.

* * *

When Loki finally arrives back in Asgard, Thor and the Warriors Three are waiting for him outside of his chambers. Loki wants to turn and walk away but more than that, he would love to take a bath right now or sleep until noon tomorrow. He wonders if maybe he can track down Sif and convince her to join him for both. 

"Keep your things packed," Volstagg calls to him.

Thor gives Volstagg a look that Loki finds very suspicious. Loki crosses his arms as he stares at them. "We have a task for you," Thor tells Loki. 

"I'm listening," Loki says to them.

"Sif's at the Winter Palace without you and we were wondering if you could go and get her," Thor requests of Loki. 

"I take it you went to the Winter Palace to fetch Sif for something and instead, you made her angry and she threatened to cut something off?" Loki inquired with a smirk.

"Just our heads," Hogun answers.

"I don't think that is what she was referring to," Fandral retorts. 

Loki sighs and accepts their task before entering his room to freshen up before heading down a road slowly and tiredly to the Winter Palace. When he arrives at the Winter Palace, it is well into the night and everyone is asleep. Loki quietly makes his way through the palace until he arrives at Sif's room. He is beyond tired from his trip and he argues to himself that he can explain everything in the morning. However, at this moment, all he wants to do is go to bed and be next to the woman he loves. 

When he crawls into her bed, he finds Sif dead asleep as she isn't one bit disturbed by his movements or when he wraps his arms around her. He easily falls asleep next to her given how tired he is from the day's journey.

Sif is surprised to find Loki in her bed, clinging to her when she awakens in the morning. Although, it is hardly morning with the sun barely brightening the room. She attempts to move but Loki's grip around her makes it difficult. "Loki? Wake up," she attempts to wake him with a small shove.

Loki groans and pulls her closer with a murmur of " _Five more minutes"._

"What are you doing here?" Sif questions him as she pokes his side. He jolts at the contact, so Sif does it again until he answers.

"Sent to fetch you," Loki mumbles into her neck. "Go back to sleep, will you? It's too early."

"Thor and the Warriors Three sent you to fetch me?" Sif laughs as she pokes his side again.

"Sif, please, I'm so tired," Loki pleads with her. It is eerily quiet with no response from Sif. Loki quickly catches the hand that was trying to poke him once again and pulls her closer again. He wraps his legs around hers as well to prevent her from trying to escape. "We have a couple more days til Yuletide begins and someone's sent for us."

"Loki, I have to pack my things for our return to Asgard," Sif argues with him as she tries to pull free from him. 

"Why do you have to pack your things? We'll be back again next Yuletide," Loki says to her, opening his tired eyes to look at her. 

"I thought with your work finished here, we would not be returning," Sif explained to him as she stopped struggling for a moment. 

"Not at all, Sif. I come here to get away from Thor and the Warriors Three every year," Loki explains to her as he rubs the sleep away from his eyes "The draugar cure was just something to occupy my time here."

"Why didn't you explain that in the beginning?" 

"I thought it was obvious," Loki answered as he closed his eyes again. "Seeing as I've finished with the cure, I have you to occupy my time here during Yuletide. It'll be our new tradition. Now that you have no reason to be packing, will you come back to bed?"

Sif kisses the tip of his nose. "I could sleep but it seems that a part of you is wide awake, Loki," Sif grinned.

Loki shifts his hips slightly away from her, "I can't help it, Sif. I have missed you while I was gone."

"I missed you too," Sif presses her lips against his. Loki sighs happily into the kiss. Sif continues to kiss his face before moving to his neck and Loki sighs again.

"I'm not getting any more sleep, am I?" He questions her rhetorically as he opens his eyes. Sif shakes her head with a grin. 

Much of their days are spent in bed this Yuletide until they return to Asgard.

And it is in their bed, where the two of them are found by their friends a few years later. Thor and the Warriors Three are sent to fetch them seeing as the two had lost track of time and spent another week past Yuletide at the Winter Palace. 

"Good morning, you two," Thor greets them when the pair finally awake. "I see you are getting along fantastically."

Loki turns back to his pillow and groans, "Must it be you all that they send to fetch us?" 

Thor ignores his question with a grin of amusement, "Breakfast is made! The both of you should hurry up and get dressed unless you want Volstagg to eat everything?"

Sif blinks sleepily before reaching underneath her pillow for her blade. 

"We've already grabbed your weapon so you can't threaten us, Sif," Fandral tells her and Sif rubs at her eyes. "Come on, you two. Rise and shine! You must be starving after a long night of-"

"I will rip you apart with my bare hands if you finish that sentence," Sif interrupts him.

"- _and I will be at breakfast_ ," Fandral finishes as he heads for the door.

Loki glances up from his pillow and sees Thor still in the room. Thor rubs the back of his neck as he speaks, "As happy as I am for the two of you, I have to ask if you're using protection-" A pillow collides with his face, followed by another once the other one falls. "See you at breakfast!" He retreats quickly before Loki can conjure up something more deadly to throw at him. 

Loki sits up with a groan once they're gone. "Would be terribly cross with me if I were to go curse our friends?" Loki asks her as he pulls himself out of bed. 

"I am actually hungry so it's nice they made breakfast. However, if you turn them into animals, we could go hunting," Sif suggests to Loki. Loki ponders her suggestion for a moment. _It's not a bad idea._

"We could feed them to that troll that lives in the forest," Loki says to her as they both dress for the day. 

"If we tell them about the troll, they'll never want to leave until we've hunted it." Sif gives him a quick kiss once they were done dressing for the day. "It could be our new Yuletide tradition," Sif suggests once they are fully awake. 

"To hunt a troll every year?" Loki questions her as they head down to breakfast.

"A troll _or a boar_ ," Sif grins at him. 

"If we did that, we'd have to invite them here every Yuletide and I rather enjoy our time _alone_ ," Loki pointed out to her.

Sif grabs his hand and holds it in hers. "I suppose you have a point," Sif agrees as she squeezes his hand. "We could force them to come and fetch us while we set up a massive prank on them during Yuletide."

"I seem to be rubbing off on you," Loki gave her a grin. 

"We will have to thank them at some point," Sif tells Loki. "If they hadn't tricked me into coming here to fetch you, then we wouldn't be together now."

"I would say not killing them for waking us is thanks enough," Loki begins, but Sif gives him a disapproving look, "but perhaps, we can think of something to show our thanks."

He squeezes her hand and pulls her into another kiss before they arrive to breakfast. During breakfast as they all are laughing with each other, Loki briefly thinks perhaps it could be fine to spend Yuletide with everyone. He looks over at Sif and sees her laughing at something Fandral had said. Immediately, the thought is gone. No, Yuletide with Sif is all he needs.


End file.
